Hela stood at the entrance to the library and watched silently her father, who was sitting at one of the tables, reading a magic book. She had something gravely important to ask him.
„Can I have a puppy?"
Loki didn't even look up from his book: „No."
"Please, daddy?" Hela came closer, trying and failing to get him to look at her. "I really want a puppy!"
"What do you need it for?" Loki asked steadily and turned a page.
Hela shifted about for a bit before answering: "I want to play with it and care for it."
Finally Loki looked up, but only to level her with his gaze: "You can play with Fenrir."
"Fenrir is my brother," Hela pouted in frustration, "that's different."
"Well," Loki returned to his book. "Too bad."
"No, dad, please! I'll do anything!" Hela finally came close enough to be able to tug at Loki's sleeve. That got his attention if only to leave to book alone and look back at her.
"Why, Hela, what is that supposed to mean? Don't you always do what I tell you anyway?"
"I do," Hela admitted. "But there has to be something more I can promise! I could send the puppy to bite Thor if you want!" Her eyes light up with the idea. "Or Odin! My puppy is very brave you will like him I swear!"
When the last words left her mouth, Loki's eyes hardened and Hela realized she said something wrong. Her excitement was gone immediately and replaced with meekness.
"So," Loki drew out the word, voice dripping with poison. "You already have the puppy?"
Hela stared at the ground, her black hair falling over her shoulders and almost covering both sides of her face.
"Where did you get it?"
"I..." Hela brushed back the hair back from the good half of her face, leaving the undead half hidden. "I found it."
Loki sighed and didn't comment, his eyes slipping back toward the book in silent wish he was never interrupted.
Hela gained more courage from his silence: "He was abandoned and all alone! He had nowhere to go because everyone was sending him away, calling him a monster and I thought that it would be great if he was my dog, because he could protect me and I him."
Loki was silent for a little while longer, but then he sighed and said: "Alright, let's see him."
"Oh, thank you, daddy!" Hela hugged him briefly and ran out of the room before he could protest.
She returned a few moments later, holding a ball of shaggy fur that was growling and whining. "There, there," she muttered to it lovingly.
"It's covered in blood," stated Loki calmly, only half questioning. The dog's fur was indeed not only rough but tangled with dried blood. "Did it kill anyone?"
"Well, no," Hela looked a bit crestfallen at that. "He just really likes to drink blood of dead people. But isn't he adorable?" She lifted the dog a bit and it turned its head towards Loki.
The god was met with two pairs of puppy eyes. Plus one single eye of Hela the other being covered with hair.
"It has four eyes?" Loki scratched the dog and it licked his hand. He smiled. "You're right. It's adorable."
Hela gave a little cry of joy: "I call him Garmr. He's going to be my guarding dog and he will tear apart all unwelcome visitors!"
"Now, not so fast!" Loki raised his hand and Hela quieted down. "I didn't say he can stay yet. Cuteness and dangerousness aren't the only important characteristics for a potential member of our family, you know."
Hela looked unsure for a moment, not knowing if she just won or lost the argument. Garmr meanwhile grew bored and started chewing on her skeleton arm.
Loki smiled mischievously: "Send him to bite both, Thor and Odin and then we can talk."
A broad smile spread over Hela's face when she realized what that means: "Yes! Thanks, daddy, you're the best!"
She nuzzled her new puppy and ran out of the library.
Author's Note: I know I'm sorry, it's short and messy. But someone had to acknowledge Garmr's existence, might as well be me.
